Superheroes
by PomKat
Summary: Superheroes, she mused as she pulled out of the parking space and drove for home. Her superheroes. One shot. BA friendship.


-1Disclaimer: 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent' and all its characters belong to Dick Wolf. Not me. : (

A/N: Blah, blah, blah. One shot. I made up Alex's nephew's name and appearance since they never mentioned either one in the series. Enjoy.

---

_Superheroes_

She had rushed in finishing her paperwork and reporting to the captain. _What was the hurry? _he asked himself as he watched her throw on her jacket. He caught up with her quick stride just a few feet from the elevator, and as the doors swung open and he stepped in after her, he cocked his head to one side.

"Why in such a rush, Eames?" he asked as the large steel doors pushed close.

"Huh? Oh." She snapped herself out of her thoughts by shaking her head fiercely and staring up at him. "I'm late picking up my nephew. He's staying at my house while my sister and her husband go out." The smile that lit up her face was a relief to Bobby after a long day of paperwork and murder.

He patted her shoulder, grinned over at her. "Hope you two have fun," he told her, truly meaning it. If anyone deserved a day to spend with family, it was Alexandra Eames.

"You're welcome to join us," Alex suggested, causing Bobby's eyebrows to rise. She laughed and leaned back against the wall of the elevator as it clicked past the seventh floor. "We're going to go to the park first. He loves it there and the weather's perfect. It'd be nice if you joined us. Chris really likes you."

Baffled, Bobby stuffed his hands into his coat pocket and became very interested in his large shoes. "Well, uh, I don't know. . ."

"If you change your mind, we'll be heading out around six. Just meet me at my house. See ya, Bobby." With another flash of a smile in his direction, Alex briskly walked out of the elevator as the doors swung open. And just like that, she was gone.

---

Christopher Eames was a little boy with an explosion of bright blond curls and wide green eyes. Even though he had lost most of the round tummy from his baby years, he was still slightly chubby, his grandmother being the one to blame for that as she was constantly stuffing food at him, saying he was "too thin to be a growing boy". He barely skimmed three foot, was able to stack up to ten blocks on top of each other, and had successfully ridden his tricycle a few weeks before. Big accomplishments for a three-year-old.

He raced his toy cars on his aunt's coffee table as she collected his bike and sat it by the door.

"Ready to go to the park, Super Chris?" she asked, using his superhero nickname. He looked up from his racing, beamed at her with a row of shining white teeth and got to his feet.

"Let's go, Lexie Girl!" he exclaimed in return and he walked to her and outstretched his arms. She picked him up, cradled his body against hers with one arm as she went to open the door with the other hand.

"Hi there."

Bobby stood on her doorstep, looking slightly embarrassed and more awkward than she had ever seen him before. Her eyes widened, surprised to see he had actually come and her lips curved as she said, with that sarcastic tone of hers he loved so much, "We were just ready to leave for the park. Did you finally come to your senses and deicide to join us?"

He nodded, snorted out a laugh. "Need help with anything?" he asked as he turned his gaze to stare over at the three-wheeled bike she was reaching for.

"You choose; Super Chris or his Super Mobile," Bobby smirked at her, took the tricycle from her hands as her nephew cried out his name in a joyful squeal.

"Hiya, Christopher. Oh, I mean, Super Chris." He tugged on one of the young boy's curls, causing him to giggle loudly in delight. Alex shut the door behind them, then headed out to her car. There, she safely tucked him into his car seat and then settled behind the wheel herself. Once Bobby had shut the truck that held the Super Mobile in it, he buckled into the seat next to his partner.

"Thanks for this, Bobby," she said in a hushed voice as she started the engine and stepped on the gas.

"It's no problem."

They arrived at the spacious park close to ten minutes later. Alex unbuckled her nephew from his car seat and told him to stay close until they could find somewhere for the "adult to sit and talk". Bobby pulled the young boy's tricycle from the trunk and laid it on the ground. Christopher gave it one short glance before he squealed, "Super Mobile!" and pounced on it. With his strong legs, he pushed the pedals of the bike and was off. The two detectives took a seat on one of the park's wooden benches as he span in circles on the small contraption over the grass.

"It's going to be a bummer when he grows up," Alex said with a sigh as she watched the energetic boy.

"Oh, yeah? And why's that?" Bobby questioned.

"'Cause he won't care about his auntie when he's all grown up. He'll have best friends and girlfriends and he'll be going out every weekend to the mall or the movies or something." She chewed on her bottom lip as she crossed her arms over her breasts and stared up into the blooming trees. "Super Chris and Lexie Girl will be no more."

"No teenage boy or girl can replace his aunt. His flesh and blood," Bobby said reassuringly as he gave her knee a comforting pat.

She snorted. "Yeah, right. He'll probably never call unless his mother forces him to."

Her honey-colored eyes darted over to him, seeking reassurance. "I don't want him to get older. Three's a good age for him to stay at." She looked back into the tree tops. "Maybe there's some growth-stopping serum I can force feed him." She tired to laugh, but instead, it came out as a quick release of air. She shook her head, pulled it over to stare at the giggling boy.

For once, Bobby was at a lack for words. What were you supposed to say to a grieving woman who watched her nephew - practically her own _son_ - grow up so quickly before her very eyes? No much obviously, as proven by the fact that Bobby just sat there staring at the green grass.

"Guess I gotta enjoy him while he's still young and not plagued with teenage puberty, huh?" She pulled herself off the seat, sprinted to Christopher and swung him around in her arms. He giggled with delight and grasped onto her shirt for support. After a moment, they collapsed onto the grass and just laid there laughing.

The curly-haired boy then crawled over to his aunt and laid his head on her stomach, his pretty green eyes meeting her brown ones. He gave her a toothy smile and shot up to his feet quickly, stretching out his arms wide. "Super Chris wants to fly!" he hollered joyfully as Alex picked him up. She held him high above her head and twirled around while he squealed in pleasure. "Come play with me, Bobby!"

The corners of Bobby's mouth twisted into a grin as he rose to his feet and walked to Christopher. There, Super Chris, Lexie Girl, and Bobby Boy, played in the swaying breeze of a gentle summer's day.

---

As the sun began to set and the stars began to peek, Alex gently cradled the sleeping child against her shoulder, careful not to wake him as she and Bobby walked back to her car. She quietly buckled him into his car seat and slipped behind the wheel. She started the car as Bobby laid his head against the head rest and closed his eyes after an exciting, energetic day with a three-year-old.

Alex stared at him for a moment, then back to Christopher. _Superheroes_, she mused as she pulled out of the parking space. Her superheroes.


End file.
